Integration of Grazing and Timber Activities
Staff Directive 2011.03
Lands Division
Rangeland Management Branch
June 2006
Updated: April 15, 2011
Purpose
To provide direction to government and industry regarding the integration of grazing and timber disposition
activities on Green area public land, and White area public lands managed for sustained yield of timber and
forage. Policy direction applies to both existing and new dispositions and outlines the requirements for planning,
operations, agreements, monitoring, and dispute resolution. For existing dispositions, a transition period that
considers the significance of present agreements is defined.
Policy
Grazing dispositions will be issued on Green area public land in Alberta in a manner that successfully integrates
grazing, timber harvest, reforestation, and other resource uses and values. The following procedures and a
Grazing Timber Integration Manual (the manual) outline requirements for successful integration based on
current knowledge and experience in Alberta
Grazing and timber integration shall occur for all overlapping grazing and timber dispositions. A regional
grazing planning process will assist in addressing grazing and timber interests at a landscape scale in order to
minimize integration conflicts by a) ensuring all existing dispositions are addressed in planning, and b) guiding
the issuance of new grazing dispositions. For both existing and future overlapping dispositions, a grazing timber
agreements regarding both timber and grazing operations will assist with ‘operational’ integration.
Grazing dispositions that are subject to renewal will be renewed to the same disposition type. For example, a
lease will be renewed to a lease, and a license renewed to a license.
Current grazing in regenerating cutblocks in existing dispositions may continue if no issues are raised to
Sustainable Resource Development. Where concerns are raised to the department, a Grazing Timber Agreement
in required between the disposition holders.
This policy will be reviewed by the department after two years of implementation, and then as required,
to address implementation issues or new information.
Appendix 1 Contains a diagram outlining the grazing and timber integration framework.
Procedure
1. Regional Grazing Plans (RGPs) will be conducted in areas of high grazing demand with unallocated
forage, or regions where high levels of timber integration are required, as determined by the department.
Plans will guide the allocation of new grazing dispositions, which includes addressing the needs of existing
grazing disposition holders in such regions. In regions where the Plans are determined as necessary, but all
grazing has been allocated, a modified Regional Grazing Planning process will need to be developed (not
currently outlined in the manual). Where the Plans are not developed (areas of low – moderate demand), the
grazing application process will utilize business rules in the manual for regional planning, as well as the
Integration of Grazing Timber Activities
SD2011.03
department’s grazing disposition referral and decision-making process, with consideration of other policy
documents such as the Alberta Forest Legacy, Integrated Resource Plans, Resource integrated Decisions,
and the Eastern Slopes Policy to identify lands available for grazing.
2. Allocation of new grazing dispositions will be guided by the following priorities:
• Priority 1 – Suitable and available vacant White area public lands.
• Priority 2 – Suitable and available White area public lands designated for sustained yield timber
management.
• Priority 3- Suitable and available Green area with no planned timber harvest in the term of the
proposed grazing disposition, and cutblocks have passed a performance regeneration survey.
• Priority 4- Suitable and available Green area with timber harvest plans, or regenerating cutblocks
where grazing may be accommodated. Within this category, three options in terms of priority
exist: 1) Future allocations include enough range to avoid use of regenerating cutblocks, 2)
Existing allocations should be reviewed for expansion or relocation to compensate for lost range,
and avoid the need to graze within regenerating cutblocks, 3) If unavoidable, regenerating
cutblocks can be included for grazing as long as the two parties agree to it, and a Grazing Timber
Agreement is developed, and approved by the department.
3. Objectives and strategies to integrate grazing interests will be developed and reflected in the Forest
Management Plan (FMP) harvest sequence for Forest Management Areas and Forest Management
Units with grazing dispositions. If available, the regional Grazing Plans will be used to address grazing
interests, and may be modified as a result of the approved Forest Management Plans (i.e. To incorporate the
new proposed timber harvest sequence).
4. Regional Grazing Timber Advisory Committees will be established to advise the department on
matters of grazing timber integration. Local beef and timber representatives will form such committees,
and work with their industries and the department to foster shared planning and good relations, awareness
and education, and research. These committees will b established by the department with approved terms of
reference and membership representative of the industries. See Appendix 1 in the manual for more details.
5. Where a dispute arises between the grazing and timber disposition holder(s), both holders will
attempt to settle the dispute by good faith negotiations. Upon formal request by one or both of the
disposition holders, the department will implement a dispute resolution process should the parties be unable
to resolve the dispute amongst themselves. The operations of one party will not be unreasonably withheld if
the other party is not attempting to resolve the dispute in the department’s opinion. However, SRD may
restrict harvesting and grazing in areas where disputes remain unresolved (e.g. removal of natural treed
barriers). See section 6.0 of the manual for more detail.
6. Grazing Timber Agreements will be developed for overlapping grazing and timber dispositions,
except with overlapping existing dispositions where no concerns exists.
For existing overlapping dispositions, Grazing Timber Agreements will be developed where “new” activity
(grazing or timber harvesting) by one of the disposition holders is proposed which has the potential to
impact the interests of the other disposition holder. Examples of “activity” include fenceline development
which involves timber clearing, grazing in a regenerating cutblock 1 which impacts the timber disposition
1
Cutblocks are the timber disposition holder’s responsibility until regeneration standards are met, even though the timber
disposition for harvesting may be cancelled at some point after timber harvest and clean-up.
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holder or timber harvesting which impacts the grazing disposition holder. Interests on existing grazing
dispositions must be honoured in the Agreement development – existing infrastructure and forage
availability for example.
For timber harvest operations, contact with the grazing disposition holder must be initiated a minimum of 6
months prior to the submission of the Final Harvest Plan (FHP). The resultant GTA must be finalized no
later than March 1 of the year of harvest for summer operations and September 1 for winter operations and
submitted with the required AOP. In other extenuating circumstances (e.g. pine beetle salvage) GTA
contact must be initiated a minimum of 6 months prior to AOP submission. AOPs will not be approved
without the required GTA.
Grazing Timber Agreements are not required for grazing in cutblocks which is occurring on the effective
date of this policy, unless specifically required by Sustainable Resource Development due to concerns raised
by either disposition holder. In such cases, existing operations would continue while Grazing Timber
Agreement is being developed. Section Appendices 3 and 4 of the manual outline the components of
Grazing Timber Agreement.
7. Grazing licenses are the preferred disposition for grazing allocation method in the Green Area.
Grazing permits and Head Tax permits may be considered in specific cases. Large licences to a grazing
association may also be considered.
8. New planned activity by either operator (grazing or timber) requires immediate communication if the
activity has potential to impact the other’s interests. Proper contact/notification would require verifiable
delivery of the appropriate notice (registered letter, email, courier etc.) with a minimum of one additional
documented attempt to make contact. A minimum period of 21 days must be allowed for response after
which it can be assumed that there are no concerns. This must be clearly stated in the notification.
9. Fenceline development and maintenance need to be discussed and agreed upon in the Grazing Timber
Agreement. The intent is to minimize fenceline development and loss of productive forest land base,
mitigate the loss of natural fenceline barriers, agree on timber disposal methods, and in some cases
temporary fencing is required to protect regeneration. Cost-sharing principles developed jointly by the two
industries shall be followed in developing agreement on fencelines. These principles are described in section
5.0 of the manual.
Options to standard wire fencing for replacement of treed natural barriers might include:
• Use of logging debris
• Heavier scarification along the boundary area
• Alter cutblock design
• Other means that restrict cattle movement from the area
• Alter distribution unit boundary
Further information on grazing and timber integration requirements such as regional grazing timber advisory
committees, regional planning, Grazing Timber Agreements, operating standards, and dispute resolution are
found in the manual.
The following transition strategy will be employed:
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Definitions
Existing Dispositions-Refers to current grazing or timber dispositions that were issued prior to the effective
date of this policy and manual. This includes renewals of such dispositions and grazing allotments in the
Rocky Mountain Forest Reserve.
•
All aspects of this policy and manual will apply effective June 2006
except for the Operating Standards in Section 5.0 of the manual
•
GTAs are required for “new activity” or as otherwise requested by the disposition holders on
existing overlapping dispositions as per procedure 6
•
Operating Standards will apply to new grazing dispositions issued after the effective date of this
policy, existing grazing dispositions 2 upon renewal, and timber dispositions, which overlap
with such dispositions.
•
The Operating Standards will be implemented utilizing the following condition on new grazing
dispositions (and dispositions up for renewal), and the Annual Operating Plans for timber
dispositions which overlap with new or renewed grazing dispositions
“Unless otherwise authorized in writing by the Minister, the disposition holder shall comply with the
Operating Standards for Grazing and Timber Integration, as specified in the Grazing and Timber
Integration Manual, 2006, published by Sustainable Resource Development, as amended”.
New Dispositions- Refers to grazing or timber dispositions issued after the effective date of this policy and
manual.
Authorities
Disposition and Fees Regulation forest reserves Regulation Timber Management regulation Public Lands
Act, Forest Act.
Recommended
Keith Lyseng
Executive Director
Rangeland Management Branch
Darren Tapp
Executive Director,
Forest Management Branch
Endorsed
Glenn Selland
Assistant Deputy Minister
Lands Division
Bruce Mayer
Assistant Deputy Minister
Forestry Division
2
Grazing dispositions refers to licences, leases, and grazing permits (head tax permits and permits in the Rocky Mountain
Forest Reserve)
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Rangeland Management
Sustainable Resource Development
Appendix 1 – Grazing Timber
Integration Framework
Integrated Resource Plan / IRM Strategy
Forest Management Plan
Policy Directive on Integration
• Harvest sequence considers grazing dispositions and
RGP (if available)
• Enables RGPs, Operational
•
standards, dispute resolution,
regional advisory committees,
fenceline cost sharing principles
Implementation to existing
dispositions vs. new dispositions
Regional Grazing-Timber Advisory
Regional Grazing Plans (RGP)
• Identify grazable areas at a landscape scale
• Considers timber harvest plans and forest/range growth
Committee
•
•
•
•
•
Local beef & timber industry
Advise on RGP
Education, awareness, teambuilding,
development of tools, applied research
(involves SRD as well)
Develop GTA “user guide”
over time (sustainable forage)
Allocation of Grazing Dispositions
Operational Standards
• Based on RPG, Grazing Licenses, auction process
• Joint agrologist and forest officer/forester review of
Timber
Disposition
Holder
applications
for Integration
• Grazing in cutblocks
• GTA requirements
• Field practices for
grazing/timber overlap
activities
•
•
Grazing-Timber Agreement (GTA) Developed
Between Grazing and Timber Disposition Holder(s)
Agreement on fencelines, costs, timber harvest plan,
grazing in cutblocks, access, communication protocol
Becomes part of timber AOP, and grazing disposition or
range plan
Dispute Resolution Process
• 1st assess if dispute is related to
GTA or operational standards
Shaded boxes not relevant to
Rocky Mountain forest Reserve
where full allocation of grazing
exists
Approved Grazing and Timber Operations
• 2nd assess if cost sharing principles
followed
Monitoring
• Joint inspection by grazing and timber operator re: GTA
• Compliance inspections by SRD
Updated April 15, 2011
Staff Directive 2011.03
© 2011 Government of Alberta
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